Feather-renovator.



No. 678,966. Patented July 23, l90l.

' J. A. moomav.

FEATHER BENOVATOB.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1900. Renewed Dec. 14, 1900.)

(No Model.)

3140014 607, 5511M torn-e1 We STATES ATENT Fries.

JOHN A. MOONEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO FRANCISF. WILSON, OF ROOKVILLE CENTER, NEW YORK.

FEATHER-RENOVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 678,966, dated July 23,1901.

Application filed January 16, 1900. Renewed December 14, 1900. SerialNo. 39,926. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MOONEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, Stateof New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Feather-Renovators,of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in that type offeather-renovators in which steam and hot air are utilized for thepurpose of cleansing the feathers and subsequently heating and dryingthe same; and its objects are, first, to provide a perfect means forquickly and thoroughly cleansing and purifying feathers and analogousmaterials-such as hair, wool, and thelike-and, second, to effect thesame in such manner as to avoid the presence in buildings of obnoxiousodors which usually result from the renovating of such materials.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view takenthrough the body of the entire machine. Fig. 2 is a detail perspectiveView of a part of the stirring reel or fan. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the condenser which regulates the admission of comparatively drysteam to the chamber of the apparatus, part of the exterior surfacethereof being broken away to better illustrate the interior structure ofthe condensing-plates. Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the entiremachine with the down-collecting chamber detached.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, in all of which like letters ofreference represent like or equivalent parts wherever used, it will benoted that the apparatus is made in three distinctive parts, separablefrom each otherfirst, the base A in the nature of a rectangular chambersupported upon legs L L and having a semicylindrical interior base B,provided with perforations 19 second, an upper cylindrical part B, thelower portion of which fits snugly within a recess in the upper part ofthe base A when the two parts are put together, the lower part or base Abeing provided with journal-boxes for sustaining the shaft S of the reelor fan, (illustrated partlyin perspective view in Fig.

2 and in side elevational view in Fig. 1,) and, third, thedown-collecting chamber 0 attached to the upper surface of the part B.

D represents a door hinged to the part B for receiving the materialwithin the renovating-chamber, said door being provided with a latch N,adapted to secure it to the lower part or base A when closed.

D represents an additional door for the emission or exit of therenovated material, said door being pivoted to the upper part B andprovided with an operating or controlling arm Q, adapted to be locked ineither of two notches w w of a locking-segment V on the outside of themachine, the arrangement being such that said door when closed willappear as in full lines and when open as in dotted lines. (See Fig. 1.)

The reel or fan is composed of four or more pairsof rotary arms E E E E,secured to the shaft S and provided at their outer ends with sheet-metalfan-blades F F, pivoted in pairs to the ends of said arms and soconstructed as to be of serrated or saw-tooth form, said teeth beingillustrated by the letters If t. These fan blades are so constructedthat when used for feathers the two will be combined as shown in fulllines, Fig. 2, with their opposite ends secured to the outer ends of thearms E E, and when used for hair, wool, or the like they will bearranged as shown in dotted lines, with the free ends secured by a pinor otherwise to the shaft S.

P is the pulley upon the shaft S, and K is an operating-crank forrotating the reel or fan.

0 is a condensing-chamber of tubular form provided on one side withperforations p p, located directly beneath the correspondingperforations 19 1) in the base B of the renovating-chamber, the lengthof this chamber being the same as that of the width of the entiremachine.

I is an inlet-pipe for admitting steam to the condensing-chamber, and Oa corresponding outlet-pipe for permitting the condensed vapors to passoff by their own weight.

p p 19 are metallic condenser-plates of curtions 19 p and in suchproximity thereto as to prevent the live steam from passing directlythrough the openings, the function of this arrangement being to causethe wet or live steam to be condensed and pass off by the plates 19 pand outlet-pipe 0, while the comparatively dry steam. enters therenovating-chamber through the perforations 19 as will be describedlater on in connection with the description of the mode of operation.

0' is a drainage-pipe for the base of the machine.

C is a heating-chamber connected directly to the condensing-chamber Oand receiving steam directly therefrom, said heating-chamber beingsupported by standards or legs and located beneath the base of themachine and so constructed or arranged as to afford free air circulationaround the entire chamber, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

D is a door in the base of the machine above the heatingchamber andadapted to close the perforations 10 p, which admit air from saidheating-chamber.

19 19 p p are perforations in the outer wall of the machine adapted toadmit air to the renovating-chamber and the area exterior to theheating-chamber, and D D are doors adapted to slide, repectively, inguideways J J and J J and in such manner as to close said perforationsor leave them open, as desired.

R is an operating-rod fulcrumed at F on the side of the machine, itsopposite ends being connected by links H R directly to the sliding doorsD D R is an additional link connected to the link R and an arm M, whichin turn is connected to a shaft S, to which is secured the door D abovereferred to, the arrangement being such that all of these doors may beoperated at one and the same time.

It will be apparent on inspection of Fig. l of the drawings that thelocation of the perforations p p and door D at the extreme upperright-hand end of the circular base B at a point on the opposite sidefrom the emission or exit opening normally closed by the door D and thearrangement of the air circulation about the hot-air chamber 0 is suchthat the hot air passing therethrough will enter the renovating-chamberat such an angle as to tend to force the light dried feathers outward inthe direction of the arrows through the emission or exit opening whenthe door D is open as they are moved in front of said perforations bythe reel or fan, this arrangement being important in view of the factthat none of the heavier materials which are usually found in feathersto be renovated will be forced out through the exit-opening.

D is a door adapted to close an opening in the renovating-chamber forenabling one to observe the condition of the material while the machineis operating, and T is a thermometer secured to the inner side thereoffor giving an indication of the temperature.

D is an additional door for closing and opening, affording access toboth the ren0 valuing-chamber and that part of the chamber in immediateproximity to the condensingchamber, said door being provided withsliding guideways J J O is the down-collecting chamber, secured to theupper surface of the part B and provided on one or more sides withperforations 2 1 H is anair-circulating chamber of the same width as theentire machine, with its free end located directly above the upper edgeof the emission or exit opening, the arrangement being such that whenthe door D is open, as shown in dotted lines, its free edge will restagainst the lower inner surface of said aircirculating chamber, whilethe upper end of said circulating-chamber is connected directly to thedown-collecting chamber.

D is a door for permitting of the removal of the down from the chamber 0said door being shown in closed position in full lines and in openposition in dotted lines.

Within the air-circulating chamber His located a rotary fan G of thesame width as the chamber, the supporting-shaft of said fan beingjournaled in the opposite sides thereof and provided with a pulley,which is connected by a belt I) to a driving-pulley P on the shaft S ofthe reel or fan. (See Fig. 2.)

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The material to berenovated is placed within the renovating-chamber through the door D.All of the several doors D to D inclusive, are then closed, steam isadmitted to the condensing-chamber 0 through the pipe I, and the reel orfan is rotated by the crank K in the direction of the curved arrow,Fig. 1. Consequently as the steam enters the condenser it passes firstagainst the condensingplates 13 p and into the-heating-chamber O. Thecomparatively dry steam passes through the perforations p p in thedirection of the arrow to the left upward through the perforations 19 19into the renovating-chamber. The reel or fan is thus rotatedcontinuously and the material subjected to the steam the desired lengthof time, the temperature thereof being regulated in accordance with thethermometer T. After the material is s11 fficiently renovated the steamis shut ofi in'the pipe I and the doors D D and D are opened by causingthe operating-rod R to be rotated in the reverse direction of the handsof a watch, (see Fig. 4, where all ofsaid doors are shown as open,)thereby permitting the accumulated hot air from around theheating-chamber O to pass upward into the renovating-chamber through theperforations p p". The rotation of' the reel or fan is still continued,and the door D is opened and locked in its outer position, as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1. In view of the fact that the steam which entersIIO the renovating-chamber through the perforations 19 in the base 13 iscomparatively dry steam, owing to the action of the condenserplates 19in the perforated condensing-chamber O, the mass of feathers or materialto be renovated is not appreciably moistened. It will therefore beunderstood that after the reel or fan has been rotated a sufficientlength of time and the mass of feathers subjected to the proper amountof steam for cleansing purposes sufficient heat has been set up in theheating-chamber C and the surrounding airchamber, as indicated by thearrows, to effectually dry the volume of feathers being renovated in therenovating-chamber. Consequently as the material to be renovated becomesdry and light it is forced forward under the fan-like action of the reelor fan and the joint action of the hot air entering through theperforations p in the direction of the arrow and passes out into thefeather or receiving room, there being sufficient heat set up in saidchamber at each operation to effect the desired result, as described,for each volume of feathers placed in the machine. The light or downportion of the feathers passes upward by reason of the draft set up inthe air-circulating chamber H by the fan G,which is driven rapidly bythe belt Z) when the reel is rotated. Hence the down passes inward andsettles in the down-collecting chamber C the perforations P2192 actingas an outlet for the circulating air,'While the down itself is notpermitted to pass therethrough. When the material is all renovated andthoroughly dried, it will be found that nothing remains upon the base Bbut refuse and dirt, which may be removed on opening the door D as mayalso the matter which may accumulate in the base A which fails to passaway by the outlet-pipe O. The renovated feathers or other material maybe collected in the feather-room, and the down which has accumulated inthe down-collecting chamber (3 may be removed through the door D Withsuch an apparatus I find it possible to thoroughly renovate feathers,hair, wool, or analogous materials in the most effective manner, and byreason of the fact that the entire apparatus is permanently closedduring the operation of renovation I avoid the presence of objectionableodors in buildings where it becomes necessary to effect such renovation.By arranging the reel or fan as shown in Fig. 2, with fan-blades F Fpivoted, respectively, to the outer ends of the arms E E, I am enabledto adapt the same apparatus for renovating hair, wool, and othermaterials which are heavier than feathers by attaching the free ends ofthe fan-blades F F to the shaft S, as shown, as I find that when thefan-blades are arranged as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 it is difficultto rotate the fan while renovating such materials. This feature of myinvention has therefore an especial utility for the renovation ofmaterials of the character named.

I do not limit myself to the especial details of constructionhereinbefore described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, asmany of the features thereof may be materially departed from and stillcome within the scope of my claims hereinafter made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure-by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A feather-renovator having a reel or fan and a renovating-chamberprovided with a perforated base located under one portion of the chamberand a heating-chamber under the other portion thereof; in combinationwith a condensing-chamber adapted to supply steam to therenovating-chamber through the perforated base and to theheating-chamber,

said renovating-chamber being provided with an exit-opening on one sideand an opening above the heating-chamber located at a point opposite theexit-opening, said latter opening being adapted to admit hot air intothe renovating-chamber only at a point near the upper surface of themass of feathers, in such manner as to dry them and force them outwardthrough the exit-opening as the air enters the chamber, substantially asdescribed.

2. A feather-renovator having a renovating-chamber provided withreceiving and exit openings and doors for closing the same; a rotaryreel or fan located therein; a perforated base located under one portionand a heating-chamber located under the other portion thereof; incombination with a condensing-chamber adapted to admit steam into therenovating-chamber through the perforated base and into theheating-chamber; together with an opening into the renovating-chamberabove the heating-chamber, said opening being located at a point on theopposite side from the exit-opening of the renovating-chamber andprovided with a door for closing it, all of said parts actingsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. feather-renovator having a renovating-chamber and a reel or fanlocated therein; in combination with a perforated condensing-chamberlocated under or beneath the base of the renovating-chamber and providedwith a series of curved condenser-plates located in front of theperforations; together with means for admitting steam into the con(lensing-chamber, substantially as described.

4. A feather-renovator having a renovating-chamber provided with aperforated base a steam-condensing chamber located beneath said base anda heating-chamber operatively connected with said condensing-chamber;together with means for admitting hot air into the renovating-chamber,substantially as de scribed.

5. In a feather-renovator a reel or fan having fan-blades F F eachpivotally supported to an arm E and adapted to be united together so asto form one continuous fan-blade, or to have their detached ends unitedto the shaft of the reel or fan, substantially as de scribed.

6. In a feather-renovator a reel or fan having fan-blades F F providedwith serrations or teeth 15 t, said fan-blades being pivoted to arms E Eand the free ends thereof adapted to 7 10 be connected either to theopposite arms or to the shaft of the reel or fan, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day ofJanuary, 1900.

JOHN A. MOONEY.

XVitnesses:

C. J. KINTNER, M. F. KEATING.

